Australasian Science July 2004, pages 32-33 Evolutionary clues to prion diseases (by Marko Premzl, Jennifer Graves and Jill Gready) Describes computer analysis of gene sequences that suggests a possible role for prions.
Nature 12 January 2006, pages 134-135 Prion disease: The shape of things to come (by Roxanne Khamsi) Assesses the risks of making large amounts of new prion proteins to study transmissible spongiform encephalopathies.
Nature Reviews Microbiology 1 March 2006, pages 201-211 Prions and their lethal journey to the brain (by Neil Mabbott and G. Gordon MacPherson) This technical paper reviews the current understanding of how prions make their way to the brain.
April 2005, page 277 Prion infection: The demise of vCJD? (by David O'Connell) Reviews the transmission rates of human BSE and suggests that public health measures are effective at protecting humans from disease.
New Scientist A collection of New Scientist articles on BSE and CJD is available. Includes a timeline of events.
19 January 2008, page 12 Super-sensitive BSE tests may not make meat safer (by Debora Mackenzie) Discusses the need for more sensitive BSE tests.
25 October 2007, page 10 Absent prions blow hole in BSE theory (by Andy Coghlan) Reports on findings which suggest abnormal prion proteins might not cause BSE-like diseases.
26 August 2007, page 18 ‘Shadoo’ prion sheds light on BSE Reports on the identification of other types of prions in the brain.
7 July 2007, page 14 Prions prevent the progress of Alzheimer’s (by Andy Coghlan) Reveals the link between prions and Alzheimer’s disease.
17 March 2007, page 11 New twist in tale of BSE’s beginnings (by Debora Mackenzie) Suggests that BSE may have originated in cattle rather than sheep.
16 December 2006, page 7 Blood risk of vCJD highlighted Reports that the blood from healthy donors may transmit prions that cause vCJD.
27 May 2006, page 18 Double rethink on prion diseases (by Andy Coghlan) Suggests that some prion diseases can be transmitted when animals lick each other.
15 April 2006, page 18 Are prions the real cause of BSE and vCJD? (by Andy Coghlan) Suggests that abnormal prions may not be the only infectious agent of prion diseases.
25 March 2006, page 20 The goat fetus that's immune to BSE Describes a genetically modified goat that is resistant to BSE.
18 March 2006 How mad cows have been struck off the world’s menu (by Andy Coghlan) Says that bans on the export of meat products and feeding cattle meat- and bone-meal limited a major outbreak of disease.
18 February 2006, page 12 When prions are 'good for the brain' (by Stu Hutson) Describes a potential role for normal prions in controlling development of neurones.
29 October 2005, page 19 Did prior infection save British from vCJD? Reports that infection with a mild strain of prion may protect against later infection by more severe forms.
23 July 2005, pages 33-36 Red alert: The war on tainted donated blood (by Sylvia Pagán Westphal and Clare Wilson) Covers the efforts to keep donated blood safe for transfusions.
13 June 2005 US 'rediscovers' its second mad cow Describes possible errors in the reporting of BSE in the USA.
26 March 2005 Prion antibodies open way for vCJD vaccine Reveals that antibodies can be made against prions in mice.
4 February 2005 First human case of mad cow disease in Japan (by Debora MacKenzie) Describes the first case of vCJD to be reported in Japan. 12 January 2005 Canada discovers its third mad cow (by Debora MacKenzie) Discusses the third case of BSE in Canada.
7 August 2004, pages 32-41 This special report on BSE contains the following articles:
17 July 2004, pages 30-33 The shapeshifters (by Sylvia Pagán Westphal) Suggests that the normal role of prions and prion-like proteins is to act as biological clocks. 28 November 2002 BSE may cause more CJD cases than thought (by Emma Young) Suggests that the increase in cases of sporadic CJD may be due to the BSE epidemic. 5 August 2002 vCJD risk from blood transfusion ‘appreciable’ (by Emma Young) Suggests that people are more likely to contract CJD from the transfusion of blood products than previously thought.
Inside Science (No. 139), 17 March 2001 Smart proteins (by Phil Jones) Covers protein structure and the consequences when the structure changes.
Scientific American January 2008, page 34 Progress against prions (by Gary Stix) Reports on the development of treatments for the human form of mad cow disease.
July 2004, pages 60-67 Detecting mad cow disease (by Stanley B. Prusiner) Prusiner, the winner of the 1997 Nobel prize for his discovery of prions, describes several tests used by researchers for rapidly identifying the presence of the disease-causing form of the BSE prion.
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